John Piper, founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary in Minneapolis, Minnesota, asks in his book, A Peculiar Glory, “Is the Bible completely true? Is it so trustworthy in all that it teaches that it can function as the test of all other claims to truth?” (p. 11).
Piper’s approach is unique. Many books on the subject approach the topic like a defense lawyer. I just googled “books on the inerrancy of Scripture and found among them two books with the same title–Defending Inerrancy.
Piper, on the other hand, writes, “My seven decades of experience with the Bible have not been mainly a battle to hold on. They have been a blessing of being held on to, namely, by beauty–that is, by glory” (p. 11). ” . . . the Bible has not been for me like a masterpiece hanging on the wall of an Alpine chalet but rather like a window in the wall of the chalet, with the Alps on the other side” (p. 18) . . . “I am a captive of the glory of God revealed in Scripture” (p. 11).
This book is also available free for online reading at . . .
http://www.desiringgod.org/books/peculiar-glory
In the Introduction, Piper argues that God’s glory is the ground of both faith and knowledge.
First, it teaches us all that God exists and is to be thanked . . .
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands (Psalm 19:1).
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities– his eternal power and divine nature– have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened (Romans 1:18-21).
Second, glory is how Jesus’ first followers knew he was the Messiah . . .
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).
Third, glory is how people know the gospel is from God . . .
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God . . . For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ (2 Cor 4:4,6).
And fourth, glory is how we know the Scriptures are God’s word. This is what Piper’s book is about. Toward that end, Piper divides his book into five main parts . . .
.Part One: A Place to Stand (his personal story)
.Part Two: What Books and Words Make Up the Christian Scriptures?
.Part Three: What Do the Christian Scriptures Claim for Themselves?
.Part Four: How Can We Know the Christian Scriptures Are True?
.Part Five: How Are the Christian Scriptures Confirmed by the Peculiar Glory of God?
“My argument,” writes Piper, “is that the glory of God in and through the Scriptures is a real, objective, self-authenticating reality” (p. 15). Interesting argument, especially since many books arguing for the truth of Scripture become dry, weighty theological tomes guaranteed to get you yawning by page 3. Of A Peculiar Glory, on the other hand, the publisher writes . . .
God has provided a way for all people, not just scholars, to know that the Bible is the Word of God. John Piper has devoted his life to showing us that the glory of God is the object of the soul’s happiness. Now, his burden in this book is to demonstrate that this same glory is the ground of the mind’s certainty.
Over the next few months, I’ll summarize Piper’s book. I hope you’ll make time to read. I know of no other topic more important to Christians who look to the Bible for authoritative truth. And I know of no better author to write about the glory the Bible contains.
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